Before FTL
by i am pig
Summary: You fallow 4 characters as they prepare for the events that will lead up to FTL.
1. Chapter 1

Before FTL

Prolog

You all know the story of the brave men and woman of the Kestrel Cruiser who risked their life to try and give the Federation data that would have won the war against the rebels, but then again we all know how the story ends. I won't go in to detail of the event leading up to the failure of the mission but I will tell you the story before that story, this is before FTL.

Chapter 1

We take a look at a man named Ellis Leroy, today is an important day for this 32 year old man. That reason is because he is about to get a critical mission for the remaining forces of the Federation. To get you caught up on the situation, the rebel fleet has been destroying the federation for the last 2 years. The rebels want the known universe to become human controlled, however the federation want it to be shared with all the known intelligences. Due to the rebels having extreme technology they have been dominating the other alliances. We, the federation are the last group, and us winning the war is like a fly trying to fight a fly swatter. Some of our scouts have gave us data that the rebels have been in cahoots with the Engis to prefect the art of unmanned ships. We speculate that the drones out in space are prototypes because there systems do not match any fighting vessels that they currently use.  
Now back to Ellis, this man is going into an office on Htrae (the H is silent) for a briefing of his upcoming mission. "I.D. sir." Ordered the security guard nearest Ellis.  
"Ask the last guy at the last check point he saw it." Responded Ellis who seemed aggravated at the guard, but then bumped into his chest.  
"Just give me your I.D. before I call you in." The guard said with his hand on Ellis's chest and the other over his holster. Ellis said something under his breath and handed the guard his card he checked it and gave it back then waved him through._ Why do I have to go to this thing I already know what to do and how to do it I want to go home I wonder who else will be there. _There was a poster on the wall Ellis saw, on it was the emblem of the Federation and below it was the six most dominate races, under them was text that read "fight the right fight and join the Federation" Ellis thought this was weird how they advertised the Federation inside a Federation only building, was it for tours or something? Na it can't be this is a class B security sector. As Ellis is walking and nothing interesting is happening this might be a good time to tell you what he is going to do, Ellis and 3 other people have been given the task to travel to one of the rebel outpost in the civilian sector and take data via a uplink They will then fly from that outpost to our base in sector 8, this Is a very dangerous mission but the Federation needs to try something. Ellis now close to the conference room is getting a bit nervous. _I need to ease my nerves if I go in there I will look like a fool I have it with me but I don't want people thinking I am ill where's the bathroom ah good I'll go in take it and then be back on track._ Ellis then proceeded to the bath room and did what he was thinking of just then, when he walked out he took a deep inhale and continued walking. Soon enough he got to the door of the conference room and opened it at 8am GDT (galactic date time).


	2. Chapter 2

Before FTL

Chapter two

8am, 8am, that time sounds vaguely familiar. "BRRRRING… BRRRRING" the sound of a snooze button hit once to many, and also the sound of a new character about to be introduced. There is a man trying to work up the strength of lifting his hand and moving it to smack his pre era alarm clock. The drowsy man looks at his clock which is telling him its 6:30, at glance of this the man is instantly awoken, he drops the clock on his bed and runs out his room._ No no no not today Im going to get a nother strike uhh where are my keys… come on why didnt I prepare this._ A loud thud echoes in the room._ MY4 GOD DAMN TOE AHHHHHH SHIIIIT why did I put that there._ Well no more of his mind for now. While this foolish man is getting his ordeals together it might be a good time to introduce him.

This man is named jack Shirai he is 23 and is fresh out of the academy, he was not the smartest one in his class, but he's performance in the flight room was not comparable to any other. All he knows about today is he gets to fly a ship soon, and well he is excited. Look at that he is ready. _Ok keys book wallet hat lucky coin… wait this is not my lucky coin it's my unlucky coin god this day can't get any worse I don't have time to go back._ dos not live on htrae but on a corporeal unit orbiting outside of a sector the trip from his unit to the federation base on htrae is about a 2 hour trip, for are man of interest this is not good enough, and simply will not stand. However there is another way of transportation other than a strait shot there and that is, well Jack can explain it better. _2 hours nope that simply will not stand where's my book I think it has a star chart in it… ah yesss I can sling shot there where is my ship._ I was kind of hoping he would explain.

Sling shooting is a very dangerous way of travel where the pilot flies to a star and uses gravity to 'sling shot' the ship in whichever way he is facing and if the pilot times it right he can sync his FTL drive as he is boosted by the stars' gravity he can go faster than a FTL drive can normally go and it can just go faster the more times he slings around a star, making a two hour trip in about 30 minutes. Now the dangerous part, the pilot can miss shoot the angel and zoom right past the next star and get way off cores, the more time the pilot slings the more dangerous it becomes. When man was first roaming the stars we used this way of travel, before we found the power of the FTL drives. That expiation was kind of long why was I hoping Jack to do it, speaking of him where is Jack. _I FUCKING LOVE SLING SHOOTING._ Ah well there you go hope you happy Jack. Remember that coin he had and how it was unlucky, well something unlucky is about to happen in 3…2…1…

"Jack do you know how fast you were going?" said a man. _Damn it_  
"uh no I do not." Ha you though he was going to fly of course did you, well he didn't he just got beamed into a space cop ship while his ship is slowed down.  
"You were sling shooting there, you know that's illegal?" the cop said sternly.  
"Yes, look I'm late for an important meeting how much do you want? 200, 300 points" Jack said pulling out his wallet.  
"I don't want points, give me your ship." The cop said looking out the window at Jack's ship.  
"NO, you can't have her. Ok ok how bout 500?" responded the worried man.  
"How imported is your meeting?" the cop said trying to sound like a bad ass. Jack thought about the situation he was in and responded with a soft  
"ok fine, but you need to drop me of at Htrae."  
"Deal!" said the cop happily. The space cop walked Jack to the observation room, then walked to the flight room after locking Jack in. Jake looked at the clock on the wall which read 7:30. Still looking around Jake saw that the door was not locked properly and had a small crack separating the seal. This worried Jack and he went to the door to try and pry it open but no avail. With this option being tried the young man went and looked out the window. Jack pulled back from the window in fear as he saw a HUGE ship with the Rebel flag painted on it fallowed by what looked like a small fleet of rebel scouts, within moments the ship Jack was on cloaked. All the ships passed by the time the cloak wore off, all but one ship who was heading towards the cop's. Down the hall jack heard a hail from the rebel ship. When the conviction was over jack saw the ship arm its weapons, almost at the same time sirens went off from what seemed like in the corridor leading to the flight room. Jack was sweating bullets when he heard gun shots followed by a thud, and from the chain of luck that the coin was giving him it was not the rebels. Over the intercom was a man with a deep voice saying "this ship is now under HUMAN control all who is in this ship move to the cargo bay." Jake went up the crack in the door and yelled out  
"I'm in the observation deck, the door is stuck." In realization on what he just said he started scavenging the room for something to defend himself with. Curiously he glanced at the clock which read out 8am GDT.

What happens to Jack and the rebels? Why do I stop at 8am every time? What's going on with Ellis?

Find out next time on Before FTL which will be some day next week.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Before FTL

Chapter 3

We take a look at another character, she seems to be on a transit system, just sitting there, reading. Nothing going on, nothing like what Jack is going though, well this girl reading a book from pre era. You know what since nothing EXCITING is going on I'll tell you what that means. Pre era is anything that happened before humans made first contact with the zoltan back in the 23ed century. When we found them they introduced us to the other 3 intelligences, the mantis, the rockmen and the slugs. Oh you want to know about the engi? Well not now that comes later. Within a year we were given the technology to use the FTL drive and well, nothing was the same after that. The women is reading airlock drop and it's about a man who is stuck in a room while someone is trying to find him, the antagonist gives up and opens the air lock, trying to suck him out. Hold the phone, a man locked in a room, someone wants him dead. Hold on I'm going to glance at the book. It reads  
"Jake stands in fear when he hears the hiss of gas being expelled from the ship, the only good thing that Jake can see is that he is in the observation deck so he still has some time, Jake pulls out his good luck coin and" that story right there sounds like it was just happening to someone we know. Have I made it painfully clear that I'm talking about Jack? Ok good well why read about what will happen when we can just see it.

No more of that woman for now I got to continue the story of Jack, its 8am as I said in the last chapter and Jack is stuck in a room while a Rebel is coming to his room, you can say that this is a man vs man conflict for the English teacher who will be showing this to her class.  
"State you name and who you work for!" The rebel yelled looking for the observation deck.  
Jack just sat there in fear desperately looking for something that might help him in this situation.  
"Ah-ha!" the rebel said has he found the room, the man grabbed the door and tried to pull it open, but with no luck.  
"Jack Shirai, and I know where the key is." Jack said to the man.  
"Where is it Shirai?" the rebel said forcefully as he pulled out his gun.  
_Jack then pulled out his coin then tossed it at the Rebel, as the coin was in the air it became a knife and killed the man in one hit! That would be sick if that can happen._  
"Umm the key is in here with me, I locked myself in here when I saw your ship."  
"Then give them to me" the rebel replied in a low voice.  
"You see… I can't do that cuz if I do you'll kill me"  
"No I won't your just give me the key"  
"I'm federation"  
"your just digging you own grave kid" the man then shot the compressed air lock on the door, then the door shut completely. In the room Jack was in there was the click of the vent opening, and throughout the ship was an alarm that went off because of the gun shot.  
_Perfect now all I need to do is craw though the vent Gordon freeman style and find my way to the flight room,_ Jack thought_._ Jack then got up to the vent unscrewed the vent with his coin and began his dusty quest.  
_I'll make my way to the flight room and Ill open the air lock in that room,_ the rebel thought.  
The rebel looked at the control panel and looked for observation, when he found it he hit the "open air" button on the panel.  
Jack heard a hiss behind him, and he being sucked the way he came. He then pushed himself up to the next turn and grasped it for his life. The force of the vacuum was stronger than his grip and he let go.  
As he was falling he kicked and the vent wall fell apart. His body hit the newly formed vent opening and he fell into the room below which was the cargo bay. The Rebel herd the noise and started to walk towards the noise, luckily for Jack the Rebel went to the shields room. Jake then sprinted to the flight room and as quickly as he can he put up the air lock on that room, but unfortunately for him the Rebel put his foot in to way, preventing the seal of the door to close, he then pulled it back up and walked in the room.  
"You're some kind of stupid kid, just like the people you work for…" the Rebel pulled out his gun and shot Jack right in the gut. Jack took a deep breath and fell backwards on the panel, the Rebel proceeded and rolled his body off the deck.  
It took Jack about 5mins to wake up and when he did he was in another room which looked like an air lock room. He rolled over and saw the corps of the former caption of the ship. Jack go on his knees and looted his shock gun. Still wobbly he got up holding the hole in his side, he shot and opened the doors, much the same way that the Rebel did. The air in the room was thin from the breach he made earlier and he stumbled to the flight room forced opened it. The man turned around.  
"You just won't give up, I'm shocked that you're so persistent"  
"easy there man I'm trying to save you, uh, you're going to miss me when I'm dead"  
"not from this range" Jack then shot the rebel in the hart, he then slumped over dead.  
Jack stumbled over to the panel and closed the air lock, after he walked to the med-bay.  
It is now 9amGDT. 


End file.
